Apple Working on New Health-Tracking Hardware for 2017 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Working on New Health-Tracking Hardware for 2017

by

healthappupdateApple is developing at least one new health-tracking product that could debut alongside the tenth-anniversary iPhone in 2017, according to Economic Daily News (via Mac Otakara).

Exact details are hard to discern from the translated Chinese-language report, but Apple is said to have invested two years of R&D into the new product in it health laboratories overseen by Apple's health and fitness director Jay Blahnik.

While entirely new hardware is possible, the product could realistically be a next-generation Apple Watch. The product is said to have an array of health-related apps that collect data such as heart rate, pulse, and blood sugar changes.

Health and fitness has been a focus for Apple in recent years with ResearchKit, HealthKit, and the Apple Watch. In a recent interview, when asked what he believes the "next frontiers" will be when it comes to product development, Apple CEO Tim Cook highlighted health as "the biggest one of all."

Top Rated Comments

127 months ago
Uh.. Okay.. But you're still actually working on Macs too right? Right? Riiight?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
127 months ago
Heart rate, pulse, blood sugar...

Heart rate is already well done on Apple Watch.

Pulse... is pretty much a synonym for heart rate.

Blood sugar is a stretch, since companies have been struggling to create an accurate reader which doesn't require actual blood. That alone would be worth the cost of an Apple Watch for diabetic patients.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bitslap47 Avatar
127 months ago
Not just here, but all over, I see the quality of written text when reporting continuing to decline. I guess there is no such thing as a true editor anymore...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheShadowKnows! Avatar
127 months ago
Seems like lately everything awesome/innovative from Apple is always a year or two away. We've been hearing about awesome product pipeline, amazing stuff coming, but basically nothing materializes ...
Most logical explanation: There is a massive pipeline leak. /sarcasm
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sandstorm Avatar
127 months ago
Seems like lately everything awesome/innovative from Apple is always a year or two away. We've been hearing about awesome product pipeline, amazing stuff coming, but basically nothing materializes (besides some uninspired existing product rehashes or even plain discontinuations/abandonments).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BMcCoy Avatar
127 months ago
If Apple, or anyone else, can figure out noninvasive transcutaneous blood glucose monitoring, that is reliable and precise, that will definitely transform healthcare globally, not just for people with diabetes, but for many other situations where we check blood glucose levels.
I'm not sure how it will be possible.. it would need some new invention of technology.. but wow.. that would be amazing. (And would catapult Apple into the heart of cutting edge healthcare).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

11 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 18 Pro

Monday May 11, 2026 9:01 am PDT by
We're only four months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a sea change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a...
iOS 26

iOS 26.5 Features: Everything New in iOS 26.5

Monday May 11, 2026 5:09 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 26.5 after a few months of beta testing, and while it doesn't have the Siri features we were hoping for since those are being held until iOS 27, there are a handful of useful changes worth knowing about. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. End-to-End Encryption for RCS Support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and...
General Apps Reddit Feature

Reddit Starts Blocking Mobile Website, Pushing Users to App Instead

Monday May 11, 2026 6:10 am PDT by
Social network Reddit recently began blocking mobile visitors to its website while pushing them to download the official Reddit app, and it's fair to say that the move is not going down well with users. If you visit reddit.com on your iPhone today, you may see a new popup that can't be dismissed, asking you to "get the app to keep using Reddit." A Reddit spokesperson told Ars Technica...